Koruna

Hook, Line, Sinker

Chapter 89

Hook, Line, Sinker.

Ati looked at Grace with unbelief, Ottah who was in his mask tried to attack Grace who had jumped backwards to hide behind Jonathan. “How could you? Why?” Ati asked with masked rage.

“Why not? You said it yourself. If we go to war, it becomes a massacre. I am just saving my skin. I am sure you can understand.” Grace said solemnly.

“There is nothing to be sorry about.” Jonathan chuckled, his floor length pajamas moved with him as he examined Ati and his men. “This is such a early Christmas gift, I have to admit I did not believe you’d be gutsy enough to go through with this. It might have worked.” He paused for a bit before he shook his head and burst into laughter. “No, it wouldn’t but it would have taken me by surprise.”

Ati glared at him, “This means nothing.”

“It means everything!!! I cannot believe I lost sleep over you. Oh my!!! There’s really nothing that money doesn’t solve. If it makes you feel better, this wasn’t my idea. Koruna put the idea in my head, accidentally of course but all the same. Her brilliant ideas are the reason I’m hesitant to put a bullet through that thick head of hers.” Jonathan was obviously in a very good mood. Ati has been a pain for a while now, he had underestimated him at first but he had started something that was worse than taking over his territory, he had stirred up hope and that was a very difficult threat to extinguish.

“Are you going to keep pointing your gun at me? This is the part you surrender or I kill each of your men without mercy.” Jonathan winked at him.

“You are going to kill us anyway, we might as well die taking you along with us.” Ati stared right at him.

“Something tells me that you are not the martyr type. I’ll give you something, surrender and the people in your territory will be safe from my righteous arm of judgement. From what I hear, you have women, children, and a lot more innocents. I don’t think you would risk their safety for your lives.” Jonathan smirked at him.

“You have me all figured out, don’t you? Why should I believe you?” Ati asked.

“There’s no other choice. Either ways you have lost, why do others have to pay for your mistakes as well?” Jonathan sighed.

Ati dropped his gun and ordered his men to do the same. “If you kill any single person there, I will rise from the grave and haunt you to your very end.”

“I’m so scared.” Jonathan mocked and signaled his men to take them to their cells. As they were being pulled away, he called Ati, “Buhar thought you were a loyal dog but when I looked into those eyes, I knew that someday you would bite him in the end. I didn’t warn him, there was no point he was an ass in every sense of the word.”

“What is the point of saying this to me?” Ati asked.

“You should have been satisfied with just his bones, Dog.” Jonathan looked at him darkly and walked away.

Ottah glared at him as he moved then they were shoved into the cells. All seven of them in one tiny room after they were unarmed. “I will kill Grace, how could he?!”

“This is harsh even for criminals. I can barely straighten my legs.” Flank grunted.

“Is that what you are worried about? Really?” Ottah scoffed at him.

…

“It will be a public execution tomorrow, right in front of all the people in Flames. There, everyone will see their fallen hero and no one would dare rise up against me. Make the arrangements.” Jonathan said to his men.

Grace waited for him and stood when he came into view, “Oh please sit. Never mind all that with me. You have made me a very happy man.” Jonathan said to him.

“I am honoured, as long as you keep to your end of the agreement, we will have a very promising future together.” Grace replied.

“I am happy. Very happy about that, sure you will be second in command after we ensure that all of his men are gone.” Jonathan chuckled softly, he was in a good mood and that was why he was going to postpone killing Grace. A man who would betray his own for money isn’t the kind of person he wanted in his crew. He grinned the more he thought about giving what would be his last supper. He planned to kill him with Ati, after all his men needed the reminder not to mess with him, pity that Grace had no family to escort him to the afterlife.

“I was going to wait till tomorrow but I can’t hold it in, Seggz call Sugar and tell her to bring all of her girls. We are having a party tonight. Move the prisoners to Gichaan and put them on display as we have the greatest fun we have ever had in a very long time. Tell her to bring all her men and women!!!! I am in a generous mood.” Jonathan said with a smile, his men grew excited as the prospect.

Ati and his men were dragged to Gichaan and were tied to the pole where dancers usually presented themselves. Even though it was a short time, the place was soon filled with drinks, fanfare and women. Grace sat beside Jonathan as they watched the entire activity without much reaction.

“Don’t look so down!!! Look, I am throwing you a party. Celebrate that!!!” Jonathan laughed at his own joke and his men followed. He dragged one of the servers, a fair young girl into his laps as he patted her bum, “You are new, who are you?”

The girl blushed and struggled to stand, “I am just here to serve sir, please let me go.”

“I asked for your name, didn’t I?” He slapped her buttocks, his breath smelt like hard liquor, Jonathan was really letting himself go. He hardly allowed himself that much but this evening was different. He had not known how much Ati had bugged him until he captured him tonight. Anytime he looked at him tied up, he Felt powerful and more powerful with each glance. He looked at the young girl on his laps, he liked when they struggled. The girl’s skin was without blemish, and soft. Oh so soft.

“Mariam sir, my name is Mariam. Please I would like to be on my way.” She shivered. Mariam cursed at Koruna in her head, all because of that stupid debt she owed when Koruna saved her. Now a mad man is pawing at her behind, at this moment she wanted to kill him herself.

“Beautiful name for a beautiful girl, you like to serve… why don’t you pour me more drinks. You serve me and only me tonight.” Jonathan smirked at her. This was going to end well for him, the stars must be aligned in his favor he thought to himself as he basked in the music and the alcohol.

Mariam did as she was told and poured him more drinks, Grace and Ati’s eyes met and they exchanged a smile. This was going according to plan, that Koruna has to be a witch Grace thought to himself.

*Flashback*

“Death is death anyways.” Bernie murmured.

“We won’t die, not today at least.”

“We have too many ideas, I am beginning to feel dizzy.” Louise said out loud.

Flank flinched, he had forgotten he was there considering that he had not said a word, “You speak? I thought you were mute.”

Louise looked at him like he had lost his mind and ignored him. Ottah agreed with Louise, all of the ideas they had seemed probable but it was hard to choose. Each had its pros and cons but they were all high risk.

“Koruna, we could call Koruna. From what I understand, she seemed to know Jonathan best and might know what it would take to actually beat him.” Bernie suggested.

Ati nodded in agreement and Koruna was called, they explained each of the plans and Koruna listened carefully. “What do you think?”

“It’s not a bad plan.” She had answered.

“Which one?” Flank asked.

“All three.” Koruna chuckled.

“We need one Runa.” Ati heard a growl in the background when he called her that,

“All three, it would take all three to fool Jonathan. Like you said he is paranoid, you have to go all in to trick him. I already planted a seed regarding him destroying your territory from the inside out, I am sure that some of your men must have gotten offers from him to turn against you already. Don’t get mad at me, it just came out. Get one of them to agree and use one of the plans as a distraction tactic. Make him believe he has you, it has to be real. He won’t be able to resist the temptation to celebrate, you get to him the way no one else has. There is someone I know who is exactly his type, he would not be able to resist her but I do not know if she would agree to it but I have my ways to convince her, she could drug him.  Jonathan has high resistance for alcohol, you don’t have to drug all of his men, they tend to overindulge since it happens very rarely. They’ll be too drunk to defend themselves.” Koruna fitted all of their plans into one like a puzzle.

Bernie laughed, “You are something else entirely. You managed to make the Trojan horse into something workable.”

“Anything out of place, Jonathan would notice and so you have to be very convincing otherwise you will lose everything.” Koruna warned.

Ati could not help but admire her, he once again wished she was his, he smiled bitterly at what might never be, “We’ll perfect what we have. Thank you.”

“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be in jail?” Flank asked as he remembered.

She sighed deeply, “Long story. Will tell you later, stay safe. All of you.”

They exchanged pleasantries and cut the call while they made certain of every hooks in the details. “Has anyone of you here been offered anything from Jonathan.” Ati asked.

Ottah and Grace looked at each other, “We didn’t say anything because there was no need. None of us here would betray you for anything.” Ottah answered.

“So both of you?” Ati frowned.

“Yes. Not from him but from his men, we didn’t think it was worth telling.” Ottah replied.

“You tell me everything from here on out, which one of you two will be the traitor?” Ati glowered at them.

They pointed at each other, Grace slapped his fore finger; “It has to be him. He’s smarter and he never lets me forget that.”

“I am a terrible liar, everyone knows that.” Ottah retorted.

“Heyyyy, what is that supposed to mean?!!” Grace raised his brow.

“You are in the drama club at church, you have everything to work with.” Ottah added and smirked in his direction.

“It’s agreed then, Grace will be the traitor.” Ati ruffled Grace hair.

“I honestly do not like the sound of that.” Grace mumbled.

“Don’t worry, Big guy. I’m sure you can do this.” Ottah teased

“Fuck you.” Grace gave him the middle finger. 

*Current time* 

Grace walked pretending to be drunk until to where Ati and his men were, he had a bottle of alcohol with him and tried to pour it on Ottah, but he slapped his hand away which gave Grace the opportunity to slip him a bunch of keys.